Lord of the Nine Beasts
by RyoshiMorino
Summary: As a member of of the Hyuga clan, Hinata has grown up with nothing but the weight of her family's expectations. 'Do well, or we shall feed you to the Demon Lord,' her grandfather teased her. How little did she realize how much those words would mean to her, for as long as she could remember, tales of the monstrous creatures known as the Tailed Beasts, and those that contained them.
1. 1 - The Demon with Blue Eyes

_**AN:**_ Rewrite of "The Ninth Demon Lord".

* * *

 ** _Summary:_** As a member of of the Hyuga clan, Hinata has grown up with nothing but the weight of her family's expectations. 'Do well, or we shall feed you to the Demon Lord,' her grandfather teased her. How little did she realize how much those words would mean to her, for as long as she could remember, tales of the monstrous creatures known as the Tailed Beasts, and those that contained them had plagued her nightmares as a little girl...that is until the day she saw one.

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 _ **1: The Demon with Blue Eyes**_

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Shivering as the cold of the Land of Iron seeped into her body through her thin clothing, Hinata let out a foggy puff of breath when she sighed at the sight of the gathering crowd around her. Beside her, her little sister, Hanabi, shivered just as badly from the cold, being the smaller of the two at the tender age of thirteen.

"Why did we have to come out here just to watch this stupid ceremony?" The little girl whined to her sister, and father, who sat beside the older girl, "It's not like it's important, right?"

Overhearing his daughter's complaints, Hiashi, her father, could only sigh, "The Shogun has called all of the Leaf's clans to witness this, Hanabi," he said, gesturing around them to their fellows from the Leaf Village, "It is not just us that are suffering from the cold."

"Still, why?" Hanabi said, her teeth chattering as she rubbed her arms to warm herself before Hinata put her arms around her.

Again, the man sighed, looking down at the wooden platform below them. It was upon this platform that the 'ceremony' was to take place. In the center of the platform were two large poles sitting side by side, both of which were mounted with chains made from special metals found only in the Land of Iron. In truth, the man wished he could have left both of his daughters at home, but his fears of what may happen to them out weighed his fears of what they were about to witness.

Hinata kept herself quiet as she warmed her sister up, silently contemplating what was going on. It wasn't every day that the Shogun himself called forth the five Daimyo, and the clans of each and every village to the governing body of the continent.

The Shogun, Mifune, had little interest in the lands outside of the Land of Iron unless a grave law had been broken, or if a war was about to break out. He was a hard man to please, and commanded respect of all that served him.

As a shinobi village, the Leaf Village in which she live was one of the five greatest villages in the nations. Each nations was divided up into varying territories, many small and not worth the Shogun's attention, allowing the smaller villages to get away with a few small assaults on larger ones to gain recognition from the Daiymo, and, by extension, the Shogun. Smaller villagers tended to breed and train less than stellar warriors, which meant they brought in far less income than the larger, more powerful villages.

The Daimyo were the ones that governed each of their respective lands, serving as the Shogun's aids. Mifune was, by far, the harshest of the Shogun that had come before him. Many feared him because he surrounded himself with his most powerful samurai warriors. Like shinobi, samurai were the Land of Iron's military forces in place of the shadow warriors. Rather than practice elemental techniques, they preferred bushido to ninjutsu, yet this did not make them any less formidable.

Mifune himself was a deadly swordsman on his own, but the two men that usually stood at his side were almost as dangerous as he himself was. If anyone were to get passed them, then they would have Mifune himself to deal with.

Suddenly, the loud crashing of a gong brought the girl from her musings as the gathered people rose from their seats, herself and her family included, and gave a short bow as the Lord of the Land of Iron and surrounding lands made his way to his own balcony. He was dressed in full armor, and flanked by his two warriors, both of whom carried a black blade made of meteor iron.

To Hinata, Mifune looked to be an old man, well passed his prime, but she knew better than to judge by looks alone.

"People of the Elemental Nations," he intoned, his voice carrying over the area loud and clear, "As you are all aware, our great Nations are home to nine beings of great power. Those beings now lay sealed within nine mortal vessels, and are governed by our five greatest shinobi villages."

He gestured to the platform in the center of the area, "As you are also aware, these nine are bound by five simple rules," He continued, "First; a Demon Lord must never raise his or her hand against their Daimyo, or the Shogun. Secondly; a Demon Lord must obey the wishes of his Kage, Daimyo, and the Shogun whenever he or she is called upon. Thirdly; a Demon Lord may never conquer another land for themselves. Fourthly; Marriages between existing Demon Lords are strictly forbidden. And lastly; a Demon Lord may never leave their home unless called upon by their Kage, Daimyo, or the Shogun."

"Such strict laws," Hinata breathed out under her breath, her father nodding as he tightened his hands into fists.

"Two of these laws have been broke," the Shogun roared angrily, causing the crowd to grow angry themselves, save for a select few that gave the man angry looks, many of them, the young woman noticed, coming from Leaf villagers.

It was then that she saw a young man, his hair a wild mane of yellow, and his back bare, being led up unto the platform in changes. His wrists were then chained to the posts so that he stood, unable to move them while his feet were similarly bound.

"The Demon Lord of Whirlpool Castle, Naruto Uzumaki, Ninth Demon Lord," Mifune announced, "Has broken the Third, and Fifth Laws."

Outragged shouts and cries of anger were heard.

"Lord Uzumaki had not only left his own lands, but moved to conquer the neighboring Land of Waves," Mifune roared, riling the crowd up, "These lands rightfully belong to the Water Daimyo, and his Mizukage. But Lord Uzumaki saw fit to break the laws, and make these lands his own!"

"DEATH TO THE DEMON!"

"TRAITOR!"

"HANG HIM!"

"Silence!" Mifune roared, "As the last of the House of Uzumaki, the only ones capable of housing the Nine Tailed Fox, his punishment, until he sires a suitable heir, cannot be death." The man said, drawing a loud round of disappointed murmurs from the crowd.

Hinata looked at her father, "Father, what's going on?"

Hiashi ground his teeth, his knuckles going bone-white, "They're going to whip him!"

Hinata and Hanabi paled, the elder sister moving to take her little sister from the stands, but found the exit blocked by guards; they were to be forced to watch the whipping.

"As such," Mifune called out, "Lord Uzumaki is to be stripped of his conquered lands, and lashed. Thirty lashes for each transgression."

Hinata looked horrified. ' _Sixty lashes?!_ ' She thought as the samurai holing the long bullwhip stepped up, ' _That would kill him!_ '

"As I am a merciful lord, should the Demon Lord apologies for his crimes, and cry for mercy, his torment shall cease after fifteen lashes. Not a moment before." He looked down at the man to carry out the punishment, "Commence."

The whip was uncoiled, and brought back. Hinata took her sister and held her close as they closed their eyes just as the first crack of the whip struck. A moment of silence followed before a second crack. And then a third, but no sound came from the young man. Cracking her eyes open and wincing as the next crack of the whip sounded against his flesh, she saw the the young Demon Lord had a horribly strained look upon his face, but his teeth were clamped so tight to keep himself quiet that his lip was bleeding.

His eyes seemed to glow with ferocity even as the whipping continued, filled with nothing but rage and hate as finally, the fifteenth lash struck his skin, the wood of the platform already soaked with so much blood that he should have already been killed from the loss.

"MERCY!"

Hinata sighed in relief, but it wasn't the young lord that had called out.

"Who dares cry for this pig's mercy!" Mifune roared.

"I do!" Roared an elderly man as he muscled his way through the crowd on the Land of Water's side, "Hear me out, Lord Mifune, Lord Naruto only broke those two laws because he was asked!"

"By whom?" Mifune demanded.

"By my entire village," the old man cried out, "I am Tazuna, a bridge builder from the Land of Waves. For years we've been under the rule of a tyrant by the name of Gato, a shipping magnate who wanted our lands, and attempted to starve out my village when we refused to sell out."

"Why was this not brought before the Mizukaze, or your Daimyo?" The Shogun demanded patiently. "If things were so bad, then why was nothing done?"

Tazuna growled, "Because another Demon Lord had broken the laws, and become the Mizukaze, sparking a civil war when he decided to start hunting down and slaughtering families with Kekkei Genkai." He said, "The Daimyo was so busy try to manage the lives lost, and damage sustained by the war that he didn't have time for a small fishing village like ours, and Gato took advantage of that. He killed anyone that dared to stand up to him, including my own son!"

"Further more, I've done some digging into some of the old maps," Tazuna went on, reaching into this haori, and producing a old, beat up map, "The Land of Waves, from the time that the Elemental Nations were formed, belonged to the House of Uzumaki, meaning that the young Lord never left his lands, merely defended them!"

"He lies! He must be!" Someone shouted from above the young Hyuga, leaving her to wondering who it could have been, but she felt slight hope for the young Demon Lord.

"Silence," Mifune demanded, gesturing to the bridge builder, "Bring this map to me. We will have the truth, and due compensation given should these transgressions be false."

Tazuna was quickly escorted to the Shogun's side, granting him the map as he examined it thoroughly, "Hmm, this map, while old, is accurate." He said to the man, nodding his head in slight respect, "You must have gone through a great deal to acquire this. You have my thanks."

Tazuna bowed slightly, "No thanks needed, My Lord, but please, let the man that saved my land, and my grandson be. He's done nothing wrong."

Mifune nodded, and turned to address the crowd, "The transgressions against the Demon Lord have been rendered false!" He roared, "Release him, and tend to his wounds, and then bring me the one that demanded his punishment!"

A deep sigh of relief released itself from Hinata's chest as the young man was released, and aided off of the platform. But her relief turned to that of horror when he was turned about, and his back shown to her. She had seen ground meat with more solidity than his own flesh.

Her hand flew to her lips, "Please excuse me, Father, I - "

"Go, and please be quick, or else you may have to witness worse," her father said quickly, looking down at his younger daughter, "You go as well, Hanabi, you're still too young to witness such things."

Hanabi nodded to her father, "We'll meet you at our inn."

"Quickly now!" He urged them as the brushed passed their guard, giving the older girl enough space as he noted her pale, greenish features as they passed by.

Hinata couldn't hold the bile back for long as the sight of the Demon Lord's mutilated back continued to haunt her, and soon found herself hunched over in the snow, losing what little food she had in her stomach.

Hanabi rubbed her back soothingly as she comforted her sister, "We should've stayed home."

Hinata shook her head slowly, wiping her lips with a small handkerchief, "You know why we shouldn't have done that, Hanabi," she said to the girl as she helped her stand, "Grandfather and the other elders are growing more impatient every single day about one of us being branded."

Hanabi huffed, but said nothing as she knew that her sister was right in her assumptions. For generations it had been the tradition of the Hyuga clan to brand members of their family with a mark of servitude and casting them out of the main house and into the branch family, making them little more than slaves. It was an outdated method of keeping their family's Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan, out of the grasp of those that would steal it from them. Outdated because all an enemy had to do was to subdue any member of the branch family, and pluck their eyes out while they still lived, as the mark would only activate on the death of the marked.

Though, both young women had to give credit where credit was due. A live Hyuga was a dangerous Hyuga. Subduing even the lesser trained members of the Branch family was downright dangerous given that they were all, in essence, masters of close range combat. A single strike from a trained Hyuga was a death sentence to many outside of the village.

Hinata sat herself on a bench on the streets, catching her breath. The frigid air of the Land of Iron was suddenly very soothing to her as her stomach settled. Hanabi sat beside her kicking her feet in the snow, "You know," she started, "I've always thought of Demon Lords as inhuman monsters...but, that boy out there didn't look any different than you or me..."

Hinata sighed, remembering the look in those...strangely beautiful eyes of his, and thinking that there was, indeed, something inhuman about them. The way they glowed with emotion, angered or not, just seemed...

"He was sure handsome, though," Hanabi blurted out, wiggling her brow at her sister, who squeaked.

"Hanabi!" Hinata blushed crimson as her little sister giggled, "That his hardly appropriate for a young lady, let alone a member of the Hyuga clan!"

"Since when do you care about what's appropriate?" Hanabi asked before scooping up a handful of snow and tossing it at her. Hinata yelped as Hanabi laughed and bounced off of the bench before her sister could retaliate. "Come on, Hinata, you used to be more fun than this!"

Hinata brushed the snow off of her face, giving her sister an evil look before she stooped down to pick up a snowball. "Oh, now you're in for it!"

Hanabi squealed as the resulting snowball fight ensued, their worries forgotten for the moment, and Hinata's mind finally taken from the thoughts of the young Demon Lord.

* * *

(*)

* * *

Mifune throne room of his castle, his two guards standing dutifully at his side. Before him were the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, and the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. Behind them sat the clan heads of the village, including members of the Uchiha, and the Hyuga respectively.

"As you've all obviously seen, your Demon Lord was falsely accused and wrongfully punished of crimes he did not commit," the Shogun said, "Why the young man did not speak out for himself is beyond me, but in light of this situation, I believe due compensation should be given over to him in order to somewhat mend the hostilities he may feel towards the Shogunate and your own lands."

"What's been done with the man that accused him?" Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Hokage, asked.

Mifune frowned, "He happened to be a member of the late Gato, and hoped to take revenge on the young lord, but he had hoped it would result in his death, not a whipping." He said, gesturing to the red-haired man on his left, "Kenshin has seen to his punishment. He foolishly tried to flee."

"Good," the aged Hokage growled, "My village may not have cared for the boy as long as we should have, but the boy is still like a grandson to me. He's just lucky that it wasn't one of my shinobi that caught him, else I believe he would have begged for the whip."

Mifune chuckled at the man's humor, "Indeed, but how do you feel we should compensate our young Naruto?" He asked, "The Daimyo already send a tithe of fine cloth and goods to each Demon Lord, even though many of them are not of their lands, but I highly doubt that the young Lord of Nine would want more of such things."

"What about a woman?" Asked the Samurai to his right, a young man with bright orange hair, and brown eyes. "He's at that age, isn't he?"

"A concubine, eh?" Mifune chuckled again, tapping his chin in thought. "Not a bad idea...but it should be someone from his own village, and perhaps the daughter of a high-ranking clan...Fugaku, Hiashi, do your clans have anyone of note?"

Fugaku Uchiha bowed his head, "My clan does indeed have many young women, but they are...well, not of the same age as the young lord," he sighed, "We have one such young lady, but she is slightly older, and already bonded to my eldest son, Itachi, or else I may have suggested her."

"I see," the Shogun nodded, "Quite a shame as I know the young woman of your clan to be quite beautiful."

"It might not be such a good idea to gift him with an Uchiha, anyway, Lord," the Daimyo, Lord Iroh, spoke up, "You see, the day the boy was born, a rogue shinobi attacked the Leaf Village and caused the Nine Tails to be released through the aid of a Sharingan."

Mifune looked slightly shocked at this, "Indeed, and was this man dealt with?"

"At a great cost," Iroh went on sadly, "Minato, the Fourth Hokage, was killed after sustaining a horrible injury, and sealing the Fox into his newborn son." He said, "You, of course, know this part of the story. But the body of the man responsible for the heinous act was never recovered, so we do not know if he was a rogue from the Uchiha clan, or simply in possession of a stolen Sharingan."

The Shogun nodded, "I see your point, Lord Iroh, a member of the Uchiha clan may not be the best of ideas." He said, looking to Hiashi, who stiffened, "What of your clan, Hiashi?" He asked, taking not of the man's sweat beaded brow, "I understand you have a daughter, do you not?"

Gulping, Hiashi bowed his head and spoke, "Yes, I have...two daughters, one of whom...is of the same age as the young Demon Lord."

"Has she been promised to anyone?" The Shogun asked.

"No, My Lord, she has not, but - "

"Excellent," the Shogun smiled, "It shall be your daughter that weds the Demon Lord Naruto Uzumaki."

Hiashi Hyuga's world began to crumble around him. Beside him, Fugaku gave him a sympathetic look. It was lucky that none in his own clan were of age to be wed, or had already been spoken for. No one dared to say no to the Shogun.

* * *

(*)

* * *

Giggling madly, Hinata brushed the snow off of herself as she followed slowly behind her sister while the two of them made their way back to the inn they were staying at. The little war between them had been fun, and had thoroughly eased the elder sister's mind.

"Hurry up, slow poke!" Hanabi called back to her as she skipped on ahead of her, "I'm dying for a hot bath after that!"

Hinata giggled and waved her on, "You go on ahead, I'll catch up to you in a few minutes." She called out as the younger girl shrugged, and raced back to the inn, intent of taking a hot bath. Hinata paced herself slowly, however, taking in the sights of the capital of Iron. The village was much different than her own, but then again, so were the people. Those that practiced bushido were much more reserved than those that practiced the art of ninjutsu.

Though both samurai and shinobi used chakra, shinobi were far shorter-lived than samurai were in the fact that they were always putting themselves in danger against bandits, and other shinobi, whom were far more ruthless then samurai were. If put against each other, it would be a hard fight, but a shinobi could best a samurai in combat.

Given that the shinobi had no inkling of how long they would live once they started venturing out of the safety of their respective village, they tended to value life more so than most, and lived for the moment. As such, Hinata was happy seeing the new village, even though it felt as stifling as her own home did at times.

"Aren't you cold?"

Startled, Hinata yelped and dropped into her clan's fighting stance, whirling around to face whoever had spoken.

The one who had spoken, a man, stood behind her. He was tall, towering well over a foot and a half over her, and was wrapped in a ragged cloak. His face was obscured from view by a hood, and face mask that covered the lower half of his face. He was also a big man, with broad shoulders that looked like they had the strength to crush stone.

But what held her attention were his eyes. She could barely make them out beneath the hood, but she could swear that those eyes were glowing a bright, silvery-blue in color. A color she was familiar with.

Seeing the girl in front of him ready to fight him, the man gave out a chuckle that sent a warm shiver running down her spine. "Feisty, aren't you?" He asked, "The cold must not bother all that much if you're ready to fight in a kimono." He said, his eyes looking the girl up and down, making her blush, "Careful not to trip."

"W-what do you want?" Hinata found herself asking.

Those eyes of his turned up slightly, making her think that he was smiling behind his mask, "Nothing at all." He said, and walked right passed her, his cloak fluttering as a slight breeze kicked up. Hinata watched him go, straightening up as she did, her hands shaking.

She looked down at the ground for a moment, feeling slightly foolish as he retreated, and gasped a moment later as she saw a patch of red in the snow. She looked toward the man's retreating form, "Wait!"

He stopped, casting a small glance over his shoulder as the girl came running toward him. "What is it?"

Panting, she pointed toward the blood-stained snow, "You're hurt." She said, shaking her head, "I can't let you go in good conscience when I know I can help."

The man snorted, "You shouldn't waste your time on someone like me," he said, turning to leave again, "Besides, I'm used to the cruelty of humans."

Hinata wanted to reach for him, but she couldn't, simply standing there as he left her. Clasping her hands together, she sighed, "Not all humans are so cruel, Lord Naruto."

He paused for a moment.

The girl blushed, ' _Did he hear me?_ ' She wondered, having spoken so softly that not even a shinobi hound might have heard her. But after the small moment, he continued walking on.

* * *

 _ **It's been four years since I wrote "The Ninth Demon Lord", and believe me, I've been trying to get myself back into it, but with the Harem thing, I wrote myself into a corner. So, I decided to recreate it with a single pairing of Naru/Hina (Haters can suck it), and make a few drastic changes.**_

 _ **Anyway, hope you guys like this new take. If not, oh well.**_

 _ **Leave if a review if you like it, if not then sayonara!**_


	2. 2 - Distant Memories

_**AN:**_ Very nice turnout for the chapter, so let's keep going.

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 _ **2: Distant Memories**_

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The mood within the Hyuga clan was very somber as Hiashi relayed the Shogun's decision to his father and council members. It had been five days since they had left the capital, and he had yet to tell Hinata about her fate. He couldn't bring himself to do it. Ever since leaving the capital she seemed to be in a better mood than she had in a long while, given his father's constant hounding of the poor girl, and him being able to do very little in her defense.

"This is...quite a turn of events, is it not, Hiashi?" Hiten, his father, said, "I had always teased the girl with threats of the Demon Lords, but to think something like this would actually come about..."

Hiashi pinned the man with a glare, "Don't pretend that you actually care about my daughter, Father," he sneered at the man, drawing a look of anger from the man, "The only upside to this entire situation is that she will be well away from you, and your constant hounding of her actions!"

One of the other elders nodded, "Indeed, perhaps this is a fortuitous event," he said, frowning, "Hinata has, indeed, inherited her mother's heart, but nothing of your will, Hiashi. She is...unsuitable to replace you."

"I don't give a damn about the line of succession at this point," Hiashi snapped, "My brother was more fit to lead this clan than I am, and his son would have been a fine heir, but he had the horrendous luck of being born one minute later than I." He frowned, "And now, not only have I lost my brother, and my wife, but now I'm to lose my daughter as well!"

"Fate has decided that this be the course of her future," Hiten said soothingly, "Besides, I'm certain that none of the rumors of the Lord of Nine are true. She will make an excellent bride."

Hiashi stiffened at the mention of the rumors surrounding the Demon Lord of Whirlpool Castle. Though he didn't believe them himself, they were rather haunting. Had he not known the boy's parentage, and the fact that he wasn't overly superstitious as many tended to be when concerning the Nine Lords, he would have been greatly worried.

"Of course, she will have to be sealed so that - " Hiten continued, but was stopped as Hiashi whirled on him, his hand clutched at the man's throat, gasping for breath as his son held him a foot from the ground. "H-Hiashi, what -?!"

Hiashi glared at the man so intensely that his Byakugan glowed, "If you touch her," he growled, bringing the man back down to his eye-level, "If you so much as go near her with the brand, then so help me I'll place it on you myself, and make you wish for death!"

He thrust the man away from him, causing him to stumble and fall to the floor of the council room. The rest of the council looked thoroughly shocked at their leader's behavior, but none raised a fuss about if given that he was, without a doubt, the strongest of the Main family. They wouldn't stand a chance against him as livid as he was now. "Now, you'll have to excuse me," the man said, calmly dusting off his robes, "I must see to my daughters. After all...Hinata and Hanabi deserve to know before I am forced to let her go."

* * *

(*)

* * *

Oblivious to what was to befall her, Hinata herself felt that she could finally relax after returning home. Her encounter with the Demon Lord had rattled her somehow. Not in the sense that she was frightened of the man, no. More like she was fascinated by him. As much as she tried to forget, he was on her mind constantly for the entire journey home, even haunting her dreams at times.

She also had so many questions she wanted to ask him; such as why he, a Demon Lord, far more powerful than most normal humans, shinobi or samurai, followed such strict, and restraining laws against his kind. And why he hadn't spoken up if he was innocent of the crimes he was accused of.

The girl laid out on her bed, her mind drifting to those strange eyes of his. At one moment, she had seen so much hate in them that she felt if he turned those eyes on her at that moment she'd have suffocated on the spot. And then, only a few hours after the whipping, she had met with him by chance, and saw that those eyes were filled with mirth and sadness.

" _I'm used to the cruelty of humans._ "

She rolled onto her side, sighing softly, "Does he really thing all humans are cruel?" She wondered to herself, remembering the trail of blood he'd left in his wake, ' _Didn't they treat his wounds like they were ordered?_ '

"Hinata," her father's voice reached her ears through the door, "May I come in?"

"Yes," she said, sitting up on her bed. The door opened, revealing both her father, and little sister, "Hanabi?"

Hiashi smiled at the girl, and nudged Hanabi toward her, "Go sit with your sister, Hanabi," he said gently, to which his young complied easily, bouncing toward the bed and nestling against her sister. "I'm sorry to bother you so soon after we've returned, but something has come up since we've left the capital."

Hanabi looked at her sister, then at her father, "Did we do something wrong by leaving the area when Hinata got sick?"

"No, no, neither of you did anything wrong," the man said, sighing, "It has something to do with your future, Hinata, and I thought it best to inform both of you since you two are so close."

Hinata grimaced, "P-please tell me that the Shogun didn't ask for me as a wife?" She and Hanabi both made a face of disgust, making their father chuckle, "I don't think I could handle being married to a man twice your age, Father."

"Hey, now, I'm not quite that old, young lady," Hiashi admonished her lightly, giving her a mock scowl.

Hanabi took the chance and swooped in, "Then you should hurry up and find us a new mom!" She grinned cheekily, "If you don't you'll go all grey like grandpa, and no woman wants an old - "

"Hanabi!" Hiashi shouted, much to his daughters' amusement as the two girls broke into fits of laughter. The man knew he'd just been baited, and quite easily, he might add, but that didn't matter to him anymore. He smiled at the pair in defeat, "You two are going to send me to an early grave long before I find a second wife, you know that, don't you?"

"We'd never," Hinata giggled, looking at her sister, "Maybe Grandpa, though?

"Hey, I'm working on it." Hanabi grinned back.

Hiashi rolled his eyes at the girls, and moved to sit next to his eldest, bringing his arms around both of them, "I don't know what I'd have done without you two in my life as it is," he smiled at them, looking at Hinata, and the smile immediately dropped, "But Hinata, the Shogun may not have asked for your hand as his wife, but he did see fit to give to someone else."

"What?!" Hanabi screeched, her good mood forgotten immediately. "You're joking!? How could he do that?!"

Hiashi bit his lip in silence as he regarded his elder daughter, who sat rigid as a stone upon hearing the news. Looking down at her lap, he saw that her hands, so small for even a sixteen year old girl, were trembling in her lap.

"He is our Lord," Hiashi said, answering Hanabi's question, "I couldn't say no to him for fear of him taking her by force. He is a good man, but...he is not someone that you can simply say 'no' to."

Gulping back bile the girl looked at her father, "Who?"

Hiashi released them, letting his arms rest on his knees, "If it were a samurai, or even a noble from the Land of Iron, I might have been happy for you, Hinata, because it would mean you would be treated as you deserve, finally, but...as it stands, you'll at least avoid the Caged Bird Seal being cast on you."

"You didn't answer her question," Hanabi pointed out, trembling a bit herself now that she had heard that Hinata wasn't to wed a samurai. "If he's not a samurai, then who is he?"

Taking a deep breath, Hiashi looked at his two daughters and sighed, "As he was falsely accused, Lord Mifune thought that compensation was due for the Lord of Nine, and his retainer suggested a woman - "

Hanabi lept to her feet, furious with what she heard, "You can't be serious!" She shouted angrily, stamping her feet, "You...he's asked her to marry a Demon Lord!?"

"He has," Hiashi sighed, sharing his youngest's outrage. "Between the Hyuga and the Uchiha, ours is the only clan with a young woman of notable value - "

"She's not a piece of fine art!" Hanabi snapped, "She's got the same value as any other woman around here!"

"I know that, Hanabi, but she is technically nobility in this village, as such, she is..."

While the two argued, Hinata was going over what had been said. ' _The Demon Lord?_ ' She thought to herself, ' _I'm...I'm to be his_ wife _?_ ' It wasn't as though the thought was unappealing, far from it. The man, although a bit strange, seemed to be kind in some regards. And her curiosity was by far getting the better of her common sense at the moment. If she had been listening to herself, part of her would be jumping at the chance to know more about the...being that had haunted her dreams, while the other was urging her to find the deepest, darkest pit and through herself over the edge.

Arranged marriage had been the one thing she feared almost as much as having the Caged Bird Seal placed on her since it was made known that the elders preferred her little sister over herself as the heir to the family. She'd been told horrible stories about how some women were nothing more than broodmares to their husbands, all the while the man would be bedding other women. She certainly didn't want that for herself.

Certainly there had been a boy back during her childhood that she still held a small flame for, but she hadn't seen him for ten years. And even if she did happen to fancy someone, they would have to be of some renown to impress her clan enough to allow a marriage if she chose to marry for love. An option that was now off the table. Still, this was certainly more favorable than being married off to some fat, smell lord to fill the clan's pockets.

"When am I to meet him?" Hinata asked, halting the argument, during which Hanabi had somehow grabbed her father's mouth and stretched it out almost impossibly while he tried to fend her off. "When did that happen?"

"Er," Hiashi mumbled, his daughter releasing him, "It would be best if we set out soon. Wave Country is a day's journey from here by conventional means. We'll go by carriage, and take as much time as we can without seeming rude to the shogun's wishes."

Hinata nodded, smiling at her father, "Give me some time to pack, and we can leave whenever you're ready." She said.

Hanabi stared at her incredulously, "You...can't be serious...you're actually okay with this?"

Hinata shrugged, "Not really, no," she shook her head, smiling at her little sister, "but if I don't do this, then the Shogun may do something to our family, and I -"

"SCREW OUR FAMILY!" Hanabi screeched loudly, her voice echoing down the halls, stunning both her sister and father, "They've had it out for you ever since I was born, and now they've got a shot at getting rid of you! And you're worried about them?!"

"Of course," Hinata smiled at her, "Hanabi, I may not always like the majority of my family, but I can, and always will love them because they are family, even if they don't act like it."

* * *

(*)

* * *

The once proud Land of Whirling Tides, a large island cut off from the mainland, was now nothing more than a plundered rune of a former shinobi province. What little remained of the former village was nothing more than crumbled buildings, craters fill with debris from battles long since passed, and one, solitary building that had withstood the ravages of war and time.

Whirlpool Castle had been the home of the land's Daimyo, but now it served as home, and prison, to the Ninth Demon Lord, Naruto Uzumaki. The large shinto castle was in fine shape after long hours of repair had been made, and was a symbol to those that saw it of a time when a single nation stood against three invading forces, and managed to devastate well over half of their numbers before falling to the combined efforts of the Cloud, Rock and Sand villages.

One of its soul occupants now sat down on one of the many sandy beaches that surrounded the island, a small gourd in hand filled with wine. The young man had been watching the sunset as it sank below the waves of the ocean.

As he relaxed in the waning light, heavy footsteps gave away the presence behind him as a small creature took up the spot next to him. "So," the creature said, "How are you feeling after that little farce?"

Narut shrugged, taking a drink from his gourd, "Could've been worse," he said, the alcohol taking away the pain in his back. "At least they didn't try to kill me. That would've sucked."

The creature, a small red fox with nine fluffy tails, sighed and laid down on the sand, "I really don't understand you, Naruto," he said, frowning, "Why do you even bow your head to these laws? You could easily overpower a lot of shinobi, and samurai would be no problem at all considering they only use chakra to enhance their swords."

Naruto chuckled, "Now where's that gonna get me?" He asked, "Look what it did for Yagura. He's dead now, and Isobu is liable to pop back up any day, now, and guess who's gonna have to seal him away again?"

The fox huffed, "Just say no?" He suggested, "It's not like they can do anything to harm you."

Naruto smiled at that. He was right. Even the whip lashes on his back were little more than small wounds now after five days of receiving them. Soon they would be nothing but scars. "It's not me I'm worried about, Kurama," he said to the little animal, "Believe it or not, I'm more worried about what the Shogun would do to my old village if I pushed things too far." He said, and took another drink before passing it to the fox, who took it between his paws and drank, "I know I was chased out of their by the normal people, but there are still people back there I care about. You've met them before, haven't you?"

Kurama gave a small belch, "You know I didn't go outside all that much while we stayed in the village," he said, sighing, "If people saw me, even like this with most of my power sealed inside of you, I'd still cause a panic. Small or not, I'm still the Nine Tailed Fox, you know?"

"You're nothing like the legends make you out to be," he pointed out as he took the gourd back. "Honestly, if I didn't have you, and Grandpa Jiraiya around here, I think I'd go crazy."

Kurama looked up at the young man, "You've got an entire village to look after now, don't you?" He asked, frowning, "Say what you will, but thanks to you, those people now look at you like a god in the form of a human for what you did."

Naruto chuckled, sipping his wine, "All I did was chase out Gato's thugs, and scare the shit out of the guy himself." He said, grinning, "How anyone thinks he's dead is beyond me."

Kurama chuckled, "Oh, haven't you heard the latest rumors about you, kid?" He asked, standing up on his back feet, "It is said that the Lord of Nine devours the souls of all that meet his icy gaze - "

"What am I, a Death God?" Naruto groaned.

"He devours the flesh of virgin women to sate his monstrous appetite!"

"Gross, how'd that one get started?" Naruto asked, genuinely curious.

"And let's not forget my favorite one," Kurama said dramatically, clearing his throat, "Do not let your daughters wander alone at night for they may meet the cold eyes of the Demon Lord of Whirpool Castle, and made into his concubines!"

Naruto groaned, turning his eyes up to the heavens and fell back on the sands, "Just what I need, more bad publicity!" He groaned, "How does any of that even get started, anyway?"

Kurama chuckled and laid himself out on the sand, snatching up the wine gourd for himself, "Oh, you know?" He said offhandedly, "One person says this, another says that, and then the two get mixed together and you then have the makings of a wild rumor on your hands."

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Sounds like me and Jiraiya when we've had way too much wine."

"That, too." Kurama said, and tipped the gourd back.

Naruto chuckled at his friend and looked up to the sky, watching clouds float by. ' _With rumors like that, though,_ ' he thought, sighing as night began to set in, ' _It's no wonder I was chased out of the village._ '

Really, aside from the fact that he had a bond with the Nine Tails because of his chakra being sealed inside of him, which gave him a few extra abilities, he was no different than any other sixteen year old teenager...well, there were the whisker-like marks on his face...and the fact that he had supernaturally strong muscles...and was incredibly fast...alright, so he wasn't exactly like a normal teenage, but you could hardly see the difference between him and a normal human.

' _No,_ ' he thought, thinking back on the day before he was chased out of the village, ' _Humans can be a lot more cruel than any of the Demon Lords._ ' His thoughts went to a little girl crying because a trio of boys were making fun of her. And then a clumsy blond boy entered the scene, only to get beaten up himself, and his favorite scarf torn to pieces. ' _Wonder what happened to her?_ ' He sighed, closing his eyes.

It was after that incident that he was deemed too dangerous to keep in the village, and was to be escorted to Whirlpool Castle. But that hadn't gone as the Hokage had planned. The three boys that had harassed the little girl he defended had gotten the civilians worked up over his attempted rescue of the girl, and they all but bodily threw him out of the village.

It was lucky for him that Jiraiya had been on hand, or else he might not have come out of it unscathed. Now, ten years later, the young blond was, somewhat, at peace with his lot in life.

He sat back up, looking back behind him at the island, ' _I have my ancestral home,_ ' he looked toward the smaller island toward the West, ' _I've got my family's old lands back. So now I also have a people to call my own...and they're not afraid of me...not much anyway._ '

Kurama looked at the boy, "Thinking about that girl again?"

The blond shrugged, "Kind of," he said, smiling, "Just wondering what happened to her after all this time is all."

Kurama shrugged himself, "As pretty as you said she was, she probably married young, and into wealth." He said, passing him back the gourd, "Girl's like that don't usually stay single for long once they reach the right age, you know?"

Naruto didn't answer, merely taking a long drink from the gourd, draining it.

* * *

(*)

* * *

Hinata sighed as she packed her things for the journey away from her home. She looked around her room, the walls and shelves bare of her belongings, all of them sealed into a medium sized storage scroll. All that really remained was...

She knelt at the edge of her bed, reached under it to pull out a small wooden box. Smiling tenderly, she sat on the edge of her bed, and opened it, revealing a small piece of red cloth. Taking the piece between her fingers, she held it against her cheek, sighing. "After all this time, it still hasn't lost its warmth." She mumbled. "I wonder what happened to him, that boy."

"Hinata?" Hanabi peeked into her room shyly. "Father says everything's ready for us to go." She said, padding into the room and sitting on the bed with her, "What's that you've got?"

Hinata smiled at her, "Just a keepsake," she smiled, placing the cloth back into the box, "It helps me remember someone I cared for a long time ago."

Hanabi looked at her in surprise, "You mean you had a boyfriend?"

Hinata giggled, "No, silly, we were only six at the time, or I was at least," she said, smiling, "I don't really know how old he was, but I think we were around the same age."

Hanabi hummed in thought as Hinata stored the box away in her scroll, "So...what happened to him?"

"I don't know, really," Hinata sighed sadly, "I never saw him again after he gave that to me." She looked down at her sister, "It's silly to keep hold of it anymore, I suppose. I can't even remember his face anymore."

Her sister shook her head, "I don't think it's silly at all," the girl said, "If he was special, then you should at least be able to remember him with that cloth, even if you can't remember what he looked like."

"The Demon Lord might not like the fact that I have something from another man," she pointed out, "Though, I guess it wouldn't matter. He seemed like a kind man when I - "

"You spoke with him?" Hanabi asked, shocked. "When was this?"

"Back in the capital," the older girl said, "It was just after you left to take your bath while I took my time coming back."

Hanabi looked at her in amazement, then groaned, thoroughly frazzled. "Ugh, I've got to stop leaving you alone when we go out," the girl groaned, "All you ever do is get yourself into trouble!"

Hinata smiled at her and pulled her into a tight hug which the girl returned. "I'm sorry, Hanabi," she said as the little girl's shoulders began to shake with silent sobs, "But I don't think we'll have the chance to go anywhere together for a long time."

Hanabi nodded tearfully, "This sucks."

Her hold tightened around the younger girl, "We've still got a day or so as we travel," she said, petting her sister's hair, "We should make the most of it."

* * *

 _ **AN:**_ Two trolls for the first chapter, huh? Too bad I don't care enough to mention your names, but let's make one thing clear to one of you. In the anime the Daimyo are nothing but glorified samurai that govern their respective nations. And yet we have characters like the Kage bowing to them. I never said that the samurai were a match for a Jinchuuriki, or a Tailed-Beast. I'm not that unrealistic. That being said, Mifune in the story is a strong samurai, along with a crossover character, Kenshin Himura, and Ichigo Kurosaki.

Well, enough of my rants.

If you liked the chapter, feel free to leave a review. If not, sayonara!


	3. 3 - Journey East

**_AN:_** For those that don't know, Wave and Uzu are actually quite close together. Like right next to each other. Wave is closer to the mainland than Uzu, while Whirlpool is a string of islands (16) Northeast of Wave, the capital being on the largest, which is off the Southern coast of Lightning Country, and only a few miles out from the Cloud Village. Also, thanks for the support people. Seriously!

* * *

 _ **3: Journey East**_

* * *

Hinata blinked in slight amazement as she and her family came up to the gates where their carriage awaited. Her cousin, and his team consisting of Rock Lee, Tenten, and Might Gai stood awaiting them, as well as her own team of Kurenai Yuhi, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame. "What are all of you doing here?"

Her Jonin instructor smiled at the girl, and moved forward, embracing her, "You didn't think we wouldn't hear about all of this, did you?" She asked, hugging the girl tightly, drawing back to look at the girl, "You look very much the part of a bride, Dear."

Hinata smiled at the compliment, "Thank you." Hinata had protested at first, but in the end, she had ended up being dressed in one of her finest kimonos of white silk, and pink embroidery. Her hair was left undone, having put her foot down on the matter of not putting up with the hair-pulling feeling for more than a day.

Kiba, a wild-looking young man with animalistic features, gave her a sad smile, "Once we got wind of what was going on, we just had to come along as an escort," he said, making the girl smile at him, "We've been together for three years, so there's no way we're gonna let you just up and disappear on us."

"It would be wrong of us to not come along," Shino said, his face hidden behind his hooded jacket, "Why you ask? Because we are a team, but more than that, we are like family."

Hinata turned her smile on him then, "I appreciate that, Shino."

Neji, for his part, was his normally cold self, but his face looked quite strained as he tried to keep it that way. "We were asked to come along as additional support in case something went wrong with the transport."

"Oh, just say you're worried about her and get it out," said his teammate, Tenten, a girl in a white blouse, and her hair done up in little round buns. The older girl smiled at his disgruntled response and turned to his cousin, "He won't admit it, but he's really worked up over this whole thing with the Demon Lord."

"Yes, a most unyouthful situation it is," Lee, a near mirror image of Gai, shiny bowl-cut hair, and all, said. "I have heard horrible rumors about this Lord Uzumaki, and none of them are flattering."

"And she's supposed to marry him," Tenten bemoaned, Hanabi nodding in agreement, then the bun-haired girl sidled up to the bride-to-be, "You know, I hear that these Demon Lords, the men, anyway, have tentacles for - "

"Tenten, that's quite enough of that, thank you very much," Neji interjected as Hinata blushed crimson all the way to her hairline while Hanabi just paled worse than she already was. "I'm quite sure that that little rumor is false, either way, but it is most inappropriate to speak of such things in front of Hanabi."

Hanabi looked at her sister, "Hinata, if he does have something like that, please just run."

Hinata laughed nervously, "I'm sure he's more human than that, Hanabi."

"I hope so," the younger girl shivered.

"Girls," Hiashi called out as he opened the door to the carriage, "Let's be on our way. It's a long trip after all."

Hanabi huffed and placed her arms behind her head, "Not long enough if you ask me."

Hinata giggled and followed after her, stopping by her cousin to offer a small smile of thanks before entering. "I feel so silly for riding in this thing," she said once she was seated, "I'm really used to walking, or running wherever I need to go."

Hiashi nodded, sighing, "As am I, but the Daimyo and the Shogun will want you to arrive in - "

"A regal fashion?" Hanabi frowned.

"In a nut shell." Hiashi sighed, "But at least it comfortable."

"Speak for yourself," Hanabi groaned, "My butt's already falling asleep."

"HANABI!"

Outside the carriage, Neji rolled his eyes, "This will be a very long trip."

* * *

(*)

* * *

"How long until the bridge is complete?" Naruto asked as he and Tazuna walked through the village of Wave, noting that many of the buildings were undergoing repairs. "We'll need it as a trade route before long. And we'll need to start on a larger bridge soon."

Tazuna chuckled, "We should be done in the next day or so, thanks to your help." He said, looking out over the village, "I can't remember the last time I felt so satisfied about something like this, Young Lord, even after all these years under Gato's rule."

Naruto nodded, pulling his hood further over his head when he noticed a few islanders staring in his direction, "Gato's men haven't been causing trouble, have they?" He asked, remembering a few incidents in the passed week when a few bandits had harassed the bridge crew while they worked. Thankfully no one had been hurt thanks in no small part to the young Demon Lord himself.

Tazuna sighed, "I'll be honest with you, Naruto," he said, causing the young man to look down at him, "I really wished you'd killed that bastard when you'd had the chance. He won't take this sitting down, I can tell you that." He said, meeting the gaze of the young Demon Lord, "Last time we called in help was from your old village, and they got chased off by some hired thugs from the Mist Village Gato hired. There's a good chance he may fall back on that plan if he thinks he has no choice."

"Demon Lords are viewed as a threat if we start killing normal humans, Tazuna," Naruto pointed out, "If had killed him, then I'd probably be locked up in a cage somewhere until they could find someone that can hold the power of the Nine Tails inside them as well as I can to start a new line of Demon Lords." He sighed frowning, "Never thought there'd be a perk to being the last of my own people."

"Well, surely you're allowed to defend your home, aren't you?" Tazuna question, spreading his arm out across the village, "And this counts as part of your home, now, doesn't it?"

"That's a very, very fine line right there, but yeah, I'm allowed." Naruto smirked, crossing his arms. "In the mean time, how are the boats doing with their harvesting?"

Tazuna grinned, "Pretty good. You Uzumaki sure knew how to spread your fields out, that's for sure," he said, "Sixteen islands, and only two of them were populated? I'm impressed no one else tried to move to one of the smaller islands."

Naruto shrugged, "When I was brought here, I was surprised, too." He said, "It's no wonder the Cloud Village was able to launch frequent attacks on us since the main island was so close to their village." He said, smiling a little sadly, "Still, the orchards and fields were completely untouched, and had time to grow."

"All that wheat and rice will be put to good use, I can assure you of that." Tazuna smiled, "And the fruit's already gone a long way to improving the mood around here."

"What about the fishing?" Naruto asked, "All of those islands clustered together make for some really strong currents, and the whirlpools they're famous for the closer you get tend to form around the more tightly packed ones."

The old bridge builder laughed, "We're islanders ourselves, don't forget, a few whirlpools won't bother us when we're hellbent on making a good haul." He said, then looked out toward the port, "Gotta say though, most of the fish I've seen getting hauled up in the nets look like something out of a nightmare. Taste good, though."

Naruto chuckled, "You've only been getting small fries," he told him, much to the man's disbelief, "If you ever get close enough to the main island, you'll see fish that look like dragons, and twice my height in length."

"I'll stick with a good blue fin tuna," the man said, smiling, "But, I'm sure some people will want to migrate over there. We can't call ourselves Wave anymore considering we're back in Uzumaki possession."

"Call yourselves whatever you want," the young Demon Lord smiled, "I'm just happy to have something like this." He said, gesturing to the village, "I walk by, they stare, but I don't feel any hatred coming from them." His smile grew as they passed by one of the homes being repaired, and the family living there waved to him, the blond raising his hand in return. "If I was back in the Leaf Village, all I would feel is fear and hatred. Until I found out what I was, I never knew why they looked at me like that."

Tazuna looked at him with sympathy, "Are all Demon Lords treated like that?"

"Most," Naruto said, "I've met with all of them at one point or another, but the only on that doesn't get treated like a plague carrier is Utakata, Lord of Six." He smiled with a hint of envy in his features, "He was one of the Water Daimyo's Demon Lords along with Yagura, but he got tired of being treated like dirt, and just up and left. He travels all over the continent now, and from what I hear, he's not alone anymore."

"Got himself a little lady, eh?" Tazuna chuckled, "Can't say as I blame him. Wandering the wilds can be fun, but doing it alone can get lonesome, I bet." He turned to the young Lord, "But didn't you ever think about doing the same thing?"

"Once or twice," the blond shrugged, "But I was too young to really have a chance of making it on my own, and Grandpa Jiraiya treated me like I think someone treats their son." He smiled, thinking back to all of the good times he had had with the old Sage. "After he took me in, I forgot all about a lot of the bad stuff in my life."

Before Tazuna could respond he heard a commotion toward the port, "Wonder what's going on down there?" He said before spotting his grandson pelting toward them, "Inari! What's all that racket about?" He called out to the boy.

"Samurai!" The boy yelled back, "There's a samurai at the port!"

There was a rush of wind as the old man turned back to the young Demon Lord, and just like that, he was gone, a whirlwind in his place. "Damn, even if he's not one of them shinobi, he's sure scary enough!"

Meanwhile, Naruto appeared at the port, spooking a few of the people gathered there as the man Inari had come running about stood with his arms crossed. He was a tall, lean man, but his build was fit for his slimness. At his hip, he carried a katana, as per usual for his station. He face was long, and fierce, his eyes narrowed as the young Demon Lord appeared before him.

"You don't waste any time, do you, Lord Uzumaki," the man said.

Naruto growled in the back of his throat, the sound neither human nor animal as he recognized the man, "Hajime," he growled out, the name alerting the people around him to the man's identity, "What's one of the Shogun's manslayers doing here?" He demanded, his nails growing into claws, and his teeth sharpening into elongated fangs.

Hajime saw this and smiled, "While I believe fighting you would be quite entertaining, I did not come here to kill you," he said, "However," his hand dropped to his sword. Naruto tensed, but the man was gone before he could react. The cold glint of steel appeared beneath his neck as the samurai stood behind him. "Don't think for a second that I wouldn't hesitate to end you. A swift end to an ancient evil, so to speak."

Naruto growled even louder, his fingers lengthening, "Don't think I'd make it easy for you, either, old man," he snarled, looking back at the man with red eyes glowing from beneath his hood. "And don't think for a second I wouldn't tear you to pieces."

"Bold words from a pacifist," the samurai smirked as he sheathed his sword, "But as much fun as this battle would be, I repeat that I was not sent here to kill you." He said, smiling arrogantly, "Our gracious Lord Mifune has seen fit to compensate you for the pain you endured at the whip."

Naruto crossed his arms as he turned to face the man, "If he wants to compensate me, then he's free to feed these people you see around you," he said, gesturing to the frightened villagers. "My islands can easily provide enough food for them, but they have to harvest the crops by crossing my waters and risking the strong currents and whirlpools that surround them. I'd rather they not risk their lives if they can avoid doing so."

"You don't get to decide what sort of compensation you get," the swordsman smiled, "though, I admire your worry for these people, what Lord Mifune has decided you shall receive...is a wife."

Naruto looked at him as if he'd grown a second head, "I've known you since I was a kid, and I've never heard you crack a joke like that." He growled, "Why grow a sense of humor now?"

"Do I look like I have one now?" Hajime asked, "It was decided by Lord Mifune, Lord Iroh, and Hokage Sarutobi that a young woman from the Hyuga clan be brought to you, and given into your family as a wife to continue your line."

Naruto crossed his arms, grinding his teeth tightly, "And if I send her home?"

Hajime grinned at the young man, "Reject the Shogun's gracious gift?" He smiled, his hand falling to his blade once more, "We may yet have that battle, Lord Uzumaki."

"She's a human, not some trinket you can just pass along to someone!" Naruto roared, pointing a clawed finger toward the dock, "You've overstayed your welcome, Hajime! Get out of my territory!"

Hajime chuckled darkly, "Fine by me, Demon Lord," he smiled as he brushed passed the young man, "I was only told to give you the Shogun's decision. Nothing more." He smirked back over his shoulder, "But do try not to devour her. Her father wouldn't care to hear that she had become your meal instead of your mate."

As the man left the port, climbing into a small boat, Naruto felt sorely tempted to slash it in half once he was in the currents. No matter how good a swordsman he was, no one could survive the waters around the islands without support.

Tazuna came up to the young man only moments later, "That man, you called him Hajime," he said, "That wouldn't be Saito Hajime, would it?"

Naruto nodded, "He views all the Demon Lords as evil, and stubbornly keeps an eye on them," he sighed, trying to calm himself down, "And now that I've got your village under my protection, he'll most likely be around more often."

"He's one of the men directly under the Shogun, right?" The man asked, "A real killer."

"He's not the best of them, but he is the most ruthless," Naruto said, "And it seems we're going to have company."

* * *

(*)

Two Days Later

* * *

The area around the carriage began to grow misty as they neared their destination. Hinata looked out of the window, barely able to see the trees themselves even though they were so close to the road.

"I heard that Kakashi's old Genin team had a mission out this way three years ago," Hanabi pointed out as she too watched the mist rolling in, "Apparently they were chased off by a rogue Mist shinobi and his team."

Hiashi nodded, "I'd heard about that incident as well," he said, growing more nervous as they entered the fog, "Zabuza of the Bloody Mist had been hired on by Gato to keep anyone from aiding the village."

"And then the Demon Lord came in not long ago, and chased Gato out," Hanabi smiled, "Got what was coming to him, I'd say!"

Hinata nodded, deep in thought as she kept her gaze on the misty terrain. All the rumors she kept hearing about Lord Uzumaki being a man-eating monster just didn't add up the more she thought about him. Why in the world would someone so horrible liberate a village? Her first thought was that he could have been using them as a food source, but she quickly banished that thought.

The look in his eyes when she had spoken with him was not that of a flesh eater.

"I can smell people up ahead," Kiba called out, "Akamaru doesn't sense any danger though, so it should be fine."

"My insects tell me that there is a bridge not far from here," Shino spoke from the roof of the carriage. "We won't have to worry about crossing the gap by boat."

Hiashi looked out his own window, "Neji, do you see anything?"

"Nothing of interest," Neji said, his Byakugan activated, "I can see the bridge, however, and two people waiting at the posts. I believe they're expecting us."

"Are they human?" Hanabi asked excitedly.

"They appear to be," Neji said, making the girl pout. She was hoping to be met by demons.

At the forefront of the procession, Kurenai and Gai met with the two humans at the foot of the bridge. Both of them were plain, ordinary people, looking slightly malnourished, but in good health. The two of them carried fishing spears as weapons, having nothing else of use on hand. Seeing the shinobi approaching with the carriage set them on edge, both of them pointing their weapons at them.

"What business do you have here," one of them questioned, "If you're working for Gato, then you're in for a nasty surprise if our Lord catches wind of you!"

Gai flashed his trademark smile, and thumbs up, "Fear not my friends, for we are not with the despicable Gato." He announced loudly before Kurenai cut in.

"We're actually here escorting a young lady to meet with the Demon Lord of Whirlpool Castle by order of the Shogun." She said, speaking calmly, "As there've been frequent bandit raids on the road recently, one team was dispatched to guard the carriage, and my own team has a connection with the girl because she was once my student."

The two men looked at each other for a moment before nodding and stepping aside, "The young lord's been expecting you," the one of the right said, "Cross carefully, there's a storm brewing off the coast and the sea's been violent."

"Thank you," Kurenai smiled, motioning for Lee to move the carriage forward.

As the two men moved aside to allow them passed they would see a young woman peering out of the window, a small smile greeting them. "Whoa," one of them said, "that's the girl the Shogun's forcing him to marry?"

"Doesn't seem like a bad deal to me." Said his companion.

 **.**

Hinata had seen the ocean before, but seeing as it was now, with grey waves crashing against the bridge with enough force to make it tremble, she could almost fear it. "This is a strong bridge," her father noted as they passed a long, "If it were any less, then it would've given way a long before now."

Hanabi was looking a little green at that point, "If this is what it's like crossing a bridge over the ocean, then I do not ever want to be on a boat!" She complained, feeling sick as she leaned against Hinata, who began rubbing her back soothingly.

"We should be across fairly soon," she told her, "If I remember correctly, then Wave is only a short three miles from the mainland."

Thunder rolled overhead as a crash of lightning flashed over the water, spooking the family as well as the oxen pulling the carriage, causing them to lurch. "You don't think this is the Demon Lord's doing, do you?" Hanabi shivered frightenedly.

"I doubt it," Hiashi assured her, "This is nothing more than a natural storm."

Just then Kiba poked his head in the window, "Akamaru senses the storm getting worse, so we're gonna have to speed things up or else the animals are gonna bolt!"

"Do what you have to, Kiba, but be careful out there," Hinata told him as he ducked back out, and they started moving again at a much quicker pace.

Outside, the two Jonin were beginning to get worried as the storm steadily got worse. Rain was already beginning to pelt down on them even before the worst of the cloud cover had passed overhead. The wind was beginning to howl violently, making them have to stick to the bridge with their chakra.

"This is bad," Gai called out over the wind, "Perhaps it would be better to abandon the carriage and make a run for the other side?"

Kurenai nodded, "We'd be able to move a lot faster," she shouted back turning toward their teams, "Cut the oxen loose and get them out! We're making a run for it!"

"But we're not even halfway across!" Tenten shouted.

"At this rate the carriage will get blown off the bridge!" Neji called out, pointing out to sea, "And the waves are getting bigger! We won't have a choice much longer before they're large enough to knock all of us off!"

The Hyuga family was quickly briefed and unloaded from the carriage, much to Hanabi's growing horror as the waves crashed against the bridge higher and higher. Hiashi took the younger girl in his arms and locked himself in place with chakra channeled to his feet, "How much further?"

"A mile and a half!" Gai roared, "Let us go! The weather will only get worse the longer we wait!"

And so they ran. Hinata was forced to hike up her skirts to get more mobility from her legs, but she didn't really care at the moment, so long as they all got off the bridge safely. Her father was right behind her, Hanabi cradled tightly in his arms. Kiba, Akamaru and Shino were close behind him, making sure they were safe while Team Gai took up the flanks.

A massive wave then rose up and crashed over the sides of the bridge, washing over the group. Hanabi screamed as she was knocked out of her father's grasp. Hiashi and Hinata rushed to get her before she fell over the side, but with the storm raging they wouldn't be quick enough to catch her in time.

As the little girl tipped over the side of the bridge, however, a large whirlwind rose up, and Hanabi felt a pair of powerful, gentle arms cradling her as she was lifted back onto the bridge near her father. The only thing she and the other saw of her savior was the flutter of a red cloak as the person floated over them to the other side of the bridge, landing on the railing, seemingly unaffected by the storm's force.

As the storm neared, the figured raised their hand, and what happened next would be forever engraved into the shinobis' minds. A massive amount of chakra gathered in his palm, forming into a large ball of raw condensed power as four blade-like protrusions erupted from it creating the shape of a massive shuriken as the chakra construct began to howl like the wind.

The wind finally managed to blow the hood away from his face as Hinata caught the familiar sight of a wild mane of blond hair "Naruto?!"

"Wind Style!" He pulled his arm back, and hurled the massive attack out toward the storm, "Rasenshuriken!"

With the sound of shredding metal, the massive shuriken flew from his palm and hurtled toward the incoming storm. Hinata could easily see its trail without even the use of her Byakugan as the monstrous chakra shuriken passed into the storm. It then glowed brightly as it briefly vanished...only to explode in a massive dome of wind, shredding through the clouds, and blasting back toward the bridge. As the recoil of the wind struck the bridge, the carriage was flung against the side of the bridge, and thrown into the air before crashing down into the waters below and sinking out of sight.

Hinata was forced to shield her face from the wind as the storm around them dispersed, the sky becoming clear. And then she felt someone draping something across her shoulders. Opening her eyes she found herself staring into the same gentle blue eyes she remembered from their first meeting in the Land of Iron, his red cloak around her shoulders.

"First you were covered in snow," he smiled down at her, flashing sharp canine teeth at her as he did, "And now I find you out in the middle of a hurricane. Feisty doesn't do you justice, Miss, you're just plain reckless."

* * *

 _ **AN:**_ Such a great turnout so far, and so much love for the story! I can't thank you guys enough!

We're seeing a small reunion, and meeting one of the more unsavory samurai I intend to use, as well as Naruto trying to get Wave running again.

Review if you liked the chapter, if not...well, ya'll get the idea!


	4. 4 - The Land of the Ninth Lord

_**AN:**_ Sorry this took so long, but unlike the original, I wanted to plan this story out better. Anyway, the forced marriage issue will come up in this chapter. It'll make more sense once we get to it.

* * *

 ** _4: The Land of the Ninth Lord_**

* * *

After the wind had died down, the bridge was soon swarmed by the villagers. Hinata found herself whisked away from the Ninth Lord, and rushed toward the village along with her family and accompanying friends. Strange as it seemed, the village, being so poor, was rich and alive as the people bustled about at the arrival of the newcomers.

As she was led through the village to a house on a small hill overlooking the village, she saw that there were boats, despite the choppy waters, moving in and out of the port. Boats that had seen better days. All of the boats left the port empty, and those that docked themselves were laden with crops, or large loads of fish from the surrounding waters.

Others came bearing enormous, richly colored bolts of silk, and cloth that looked fit for a feudal lord. She recalled that Demon Lords were subject to a yearly tithe of various goods to keep them happy or entertained. Apparently Naruto was no exception. Others were loaded with strange treasures of gold, jade, and other valuables gilded with jewels. She watched as those incredible little baubles were taken to a smithy and relieved of their precious stones, and then melted down to make bars of gold and silver.

One of the boats that came back forced Naruto to leave their little procession as it came back to the port heavily damaged by something large...which was possibly being dragged alongside the boat itself. Before she was ushered away, she caught a glimpse of a massive reptilian head, followed by a scaly body covered in fish-like fins, and ended with a tail suspended out of the water with a tattered rope. It was a _fish_!

The girl clutched his cloak tighter around her shoulders. ' _Where did they drag that monster up from?_ ' She wondered quietly as she saw the blond Lord rush over to the boat, and start helping the fishermen. She then noted a small red/orange fox with multiple tails bounding up to the young man. ' _A fox?_ '

"Hinata, keep up, please," her father said as they came to the house, "I'm sure the young lord is busy at the moment."

A woman was there to greet them as she smiled at the young girl wearing the red and black cloak, "You must be the group from the Leaf Village," she smiled, giving a small incline of her head to Hiashi, and his daughters. "Welcome to the Wave Village. My name is Tsunami."

Hiashi bowed in return, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Tsunami," he said, Hinata and Hanabi following suit. "I must admit, I had thought the lands ruled by Lord Nine would be more - "

"Forgive me, but these lands have only just begun to recover," the woman smiled sadly, "I'm sure that you are aware, but Lord Naruto was arrested and brought before Lord Mifune for taking these lands from another." Her smiled turned to a frown, "If not for that, many of us would have surely starved to death by now."

"We were there when they lashed him," Hinata said, trembling at the memory.

Tsunami nodded, and then stepped aside, "Where are my manners," she said, "Please, come inside, and warm yourselves until my father and Lord Naruto are finished with the village affairs." She said, and immediately took charge of Hinata as the girl was sopping wet. "You poor dears," she said as the two Hyuga sisters as she went about sitting them around the hearth. "Out in such a horrible storm."

Kurenai and Tenten joined them shortly, "It was quite something," the red-eyed woman said, "What was more impressive, though, was the fact that we were rescued by the young lord himself."

"I've never seen such a technique such as the one he used to stop the hurricane,"Neji commented as he sat between Shino and Kiba. "It was like a massive amount of condensed Chakra formed into a shuriken. And he even managed to throw it of all things!"

Tsunami giggled as she brought in a tea tray laden with cups, and a large steaming pot. "Lord Naruto is quite something to behold when he's fighting." She smiled, and began filling and passing the cups around, "Why, you should have seen him when Tazuna brought him to the village. I hadn't even seen his face yet, but the moment he set foot on our shores, I could feel the fury rolling off of him like a tidal wave." She said, looking at the young Hyuga girls, the younger one looking spooked. "You don't need to worry, though, dearies, he's actually the gentlest boy I've ever seen."

Hinata smiled, accepting her cup, "I know," she admitted, surprising her sister and friends, "I...had a chance to speak with him briefly back in the capital."

Kiba snorted, "What, and he didn't try to eat you right there and then?" Tsunami set his tea in front of him a little too roughly, and sloshed some of the liquid onto the table.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't assume him to be the monster that everyone makes him out to be." The woman said was a motherly glare that Kiba recognized. "I apologize if I come off as standoffish, but you must realize that that young man, Demon Lord or not, has saved my village, and its people from starving to death, or being dragged off by Gato's thugs to be beaten to death. My son was among those to be dragged away. My father was close to starving himself from giving what little food we had to Inari and myself."

Kurenai smiled at her, "Don't mind him, Tsunami," she said, "Kiba tends to say whatever's on his mind. And most of the children in the village that were from his age group were raised to dislike the Demon Lords. Particularly our own."

"Wasn't his mother the wife of one of your Kages?" She asked, frowning a little, "I've asked both him, and his grandfather, but neither of them like talking about the subject."

Hiashi nodded, "She was the wife of our previous Hokage, Lord Fourth." He said, "She was also the previous Ninth Lord, and the last known remaining Uzumaki pure blood. The Uzumaki are the only ones known to the world to be powerful enough to contain the Nine Tails, which is slightly fortunate because Lord Mifune cannot pass the death penalty onto him until he sires a child."

"Which is why your daughter is here, I suppose," she said, though there was no malice in her voice as she said so, the implication was clear. Naruto, at some point in time within their life to come, would be forced to seal his power inside of his child. _Her_ child.

Hinata felt a spike of fear strike deep into her chest.

"I attempted to fight it," her father sighed sadly, "but one does not say _no_ to the Shogun."

Tsunami nodded in understanding. "Well, that's enough talk of foolish things," she said, rising, "Please, enjoy your tea. Lord Naruto's islands produce some very fine plants for brewing teas."

* * *

(*)

* * *

"I warned you about the rougher waters around the islands," Naruto chuckled as he surveyed the damage done to the the fishing boat. "You're lucky this thing didn't pull you under when you hooked it."

"Surprised it didn't," laughed the captain, looking at their catch, "Strange looking fish, but I'll bet it'll taste fine all the same. Plenty for all, too!"

Naruto smiled at him, "Be sure to cut it up and make sure everyone gets a share, please? The village is still low on meat, ad this thing will do many families good. And I'll happily pay you for - "

"Gato killed my son," the captain said, stopping him, "Seeing him and his people being driven out of our village is enough payment for a lifetime, Lord Naruto, and don't ever think it isn't." He said, and smiled, "The sea's bounty is their for all that dare to tread its waters to share with others." He said, and turned to the villagers gathered around his catch, "Alright, stop gawking, and let's cut it up before it starts drawing sharks!"

Naruto laughed as the villagers hauled the leviathan out of the water and went to work. The giant fish was stripped down to the bones and scale within no time at all as the people took the meat home to start cooking it.

Tazuna chuckled as he watched it all happen, "You weren't kidding when you said some of the fish around your islands were monsters." He chuckled as the bones were dumped back into the ocean, "With a meal like that in their bellies, the people will be all the better for it tomorrow."

The blond nodded, and sighed, "Yes, but they'll all be hungry again in the morning and won't have anything until the fishermen return in the evening." He sighed, looking at the elderly bridge builder, "The sooner we get the new bridges built the better. Horses and carts will be able to move quicker than small fishing boats."

"I'll need a great many hands for such a built," Tazuna said, sighing, but then smiled, "Ah, but what a bridge it'll be, eh? Inari can handle the smaller ones once we're done with the big one, because after that, I think it's time for this old coot to retire."

Naruto smiled at him, "I can help out wherever you need," he said, "Remember, I'm a one-man-army."

"Talk for later," the old man said, waving the young lord off, "Right now, I do believe you have a young lady to entertain, don't you?"

The blond frowned, but nodded all the same and started off toward Tazuna's home. Kurama bounded toward him, looking up at the boy worriedly, "You okay, kid?" He asked, looking irritated, "And don't say you're fine, because I can tell you're not."

Naruto sighed as he looked down at his friend, "Just thinking...I know the girl the brought over for me to marry," he said, frowning. "She's the girl I met back in the capital when they - "

"Say no more of that subject, or I may just steal some of my power back just so I can obliterate that accursed swordsmen," the Fox said grumpily, "But this is good, isn't it? You told me that the girl you met wasn't afraid of you as much as others have been, didn't you?"

"Yes, but that only means that I might have involved her myself if I was seen talking to her," the blond said, guiltily, "You know that Mifune has been nagging me to take a wife since I turned fifteen so that I could produce an heir to pass our powers along to."

Kurama dipped his head, "I know, Naruto, but that is an eventuality," he said, "Much as I would like to be free of my curse, we both know that other humans will want to shackle beings like myself. And you are the only one that is currently capable of holding my powers."

"Doesn't make it right to turn that poor girl into a brood mare," he all but growled, "And look what happened to her as soon as she set foot in our territory? A hurricane whipped right up, and blew all her belongings into the ocean!"

"Circumstances, nothing more, nothing less," Kurama said as the neared Tazuna's home, "Besides, what good are material possessions? She has her life, and can find new bits and bobs to call her own."

"Remind me to teach you about human sentimentality some time, Kurama," he chuckled, smiling at his friend, "Still," he said, remembering his meeting with her on the bridge, "When she looked at me, she didn't look afraid."

Kurama chuckled, "I suppose that she is what you humans call beautiful, is she not?"

"Very," Naruto nodded, blushing slightly, and spotted Inari coming toward him with a large scroll tucked under his arm, "Inari, where'd you get that thing?"

The boy shrugged, "I found it washed up on the beach down near Grandpa's bridge." He said, holding it out to him, "I thought it might belong to those shinobi that arrived a while ago, but this was all that was out there."

Naruto took the scroll from the boy when he held it out to him and examined it, "It's a storage scroll, one meant for storing large objects."

"The girl's luggage?" Kurama asked, sniffing at it, and nodded, "Yup, it's hers alright," he grinned, and looked at the boy, "Good job, Inari. This'll make that girl's day."

Naruto reached out and ruffled the boy's hair, "Thanks, Inari, I owe you one," he said, and sniffed the air, "Smells like your mom has supper going. Go on and get your grandpa, and I'll go and greet our guests properly."

"Okay," the boy raced off, smiling.

Naruto laughed, and continued on to the house, "Lively as ever."

"Got some meat on his bones now," Kurama commented, licking his chops, "Still too stringy, though."

"Kurama!" Naruto burst out laughing as the Nine Tails grinned mischievously.

.

Hinata found herself laughing as Tenten teased her little sister over her relation with the Hokage's grandson when Akamaru let loose a angry growl as the large dog rose to his feet, the hackles on his neck raised. Kiba turned to his friend, wondering what was wrong when a knock came to the door. Tsunami smiled and went to answer it.

"Hold it!" The Inuzuka snapped, "Something's not right, here!"

Tsunami looked at the boy, frowning, "It's only Lord Naruto."

"Akamaru didn't act like this around him when we met on the bridge." Kiba said, looking between the dog, and the door. Tsunami shook her head in disapproval, and opened the door.

"WOMAN!" Roared a tiny-sounding voice as a furry red blob launched itself at the woman. Hanabi shrieked in alarm as the small creature turned its attention toward her, spying Kurenai, Tenten, and Hinata as well. "WOMEN!"

"No ya don't," Naruto said as he grabbed the offending animal's tails, and hauled him away from Tsunami before he could have a go at the other females in the room. He looked at the woman sheepishly, "Sorry about that, Tsunami, Kurama was just trying to freak out the Leaf Shinobi."

Tsunami giggled as the sound of Akamaru's barking and the sight of Hanabi and Tenten hiding behind Kurenai seemed to be just what the little troublemaker was aiming for. "I think he succeeded." She laughed as the Fox pouted while he dangled from Naruto's grasp.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry, will you let go of my tails?" He grumbled, "You're squishing my favorite one!"

Naruto dropped him to the floor, where he started fluffing out his tails, "Aren't they all your favorites?"

"Your point?" The Fox huffed.

Hanabi peeked out from behind Kurenai, "Please tell me I'm not going crazy, and that that's a talking fox?"

Tsunami giggled again, "No, Deary, you're not going crazy," she smiled as Kurama stood on his hind legs, and puffed out his chest, "Believe it or not, this little fellow is none other than the Nine Tailed Fox."

"At your service," Kurama gave a mocking bow, grinning, "Not really, though, I prefer the brat's company to most humans."

Naruto shook his head, and brushed past the talking fur ball, hefting the scroll in his arms, "I think this belongs to you, Miss." He said, smiling at the girl still wearing his cloak. "Tsunami's son found it washed up on the beach near the bridge."

The girl's face lit up in delight as she was handed back her belongings. "Thank you." She breathed out, "This has something very important to me inside it."

Naruto smiled at her gently, and glanced around the room, "Well, I haven't seen your house this crowded since Tazuna threw that party after I ran out Gato." he said, turning his smile back to Tsunami, "I'm sorry to put you out like this, but I had to see to something in the village after someone brought in a fully grown dragon fish."

Tsunami looked alarmed, "Oh, dear, is everyone alright?"

"Fine, everyone's fine," the blond said quickly, much to her relief, "The boat was just a little banged up. Still an impressive catch, though."

Kiba frowned, looking between the two of them, and growled, "Uh, hey?"

"Hm?" The blond turned to him, "What is it?"

"You're the Demon Lord?"

Naruto nodded, "One out of nine of us."

Kiba jerked his thumb over at the girl wearing his cloak, "Then how about paying attention to the girl who's life you just ruined?"

" _Kiba_!" Kurenai and Gai shouted at once.

"That was totally uncalled for!" Neji shouted angrily. "If this is how you conduct yourself, then it's no wonder you've yet to reach Jonin!"

Kurama growled at him, "Oh, here we go again!" The Nine Tails growled, "You might not realize it, you mongrel, but actually tried to turn this whole thing down!"

"Pfft," Kiba snorted, undaunted by the Fox, or the Branch Hyuga.

"Please," the girl said, hoping to avoid a fight, "It doesn't matter. Besides, he saved us from the hurricane." She looked up at the young lord, and saw that his smile had fallen. "And I never thanked you for saving my little sister."

Naruto looked up at that, "You don't need to - "

"I do," she stood, and moved to stand in front of him, and gave a small bow of her head, "My sister and father mean so much to me, and saved all of us by putting a stop to that storm."

Naruto smiled at her, "I thought you might've believed I was the one that called it." He admitted, making Kurama scoff. "What?" He asked, looking down at the Fox, "You used to brag about being able to summon hurricanes at will, ya know?"

"Yes, but you would have a hell of a time calling one yourself without my aid," he grinned, "At my full power, a little drizzle like that would've been nothing."

Hinata giggled, "Even if I believed such a thing, I still owe you for helping us."

His smile drooped a little, "I wish our second meeting didn't have to be due to the fact that we're being forced to wed." He said, to which the girl blushed, and Naruto scratched his cheek shyly, "I...don't think I even know your name?"

"It's Hi - "

The door burst open, Inari blundering in. "Big Bro! Trouble!"

"What now?" Naruto groaned, "Another damaged ship?"

"That samurai's back!" Inari blurted out.

Hinata, if she hadn't been afraid of the young Demon Lord before, she was then, for his features turned entirely feral, more so than even Kiba's features, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. "M-My Lord?"

"Stay with Tsunami," he growled, his voice warped, and bestial. "Kurama, if anyone you don't recognize come near the house, catch them for me."

"Got it," the Fox growled, angered.

With that, the blond disappeared in a rush of wind, and flew out the door. Hinata looked flummoxed, and was about to follow him, but the little Nine Tails blocked her path, "Best if you stay here, Little One, just in case things get ugly."

Hinata looked down at him, and gave a small smile, "I'm not some shy princess, Lord Nine Tails," she said, beginning to remove her Kimono, and revealed her shinobi flak jacket beneath it. "I'm a Kunoichi. I can handle myself."

Kurama regarded her for a moment, and smiled, "Well, it's not like I care all that much." He said, stepping aside. "Go on, then."

Hinata smiled her thanks as she rushed out the door, her teammates moving to follow her, but Kurama again blocked the door, this time growing to twice the size of Akamaru, much to the shock and fear of the shinobi in the house, "No I said that she could leave. You lot stay with me and help me guard Tsunami and her little one."

.

Angered beyond his own belief, Naruto's wind whipped through the village like a typhoon, his animalistic senses finding the scent of not only Saito Hajime, but several others as well.

As Naruto materialized in the center of the village, it was to find Tazuna of all people standing in front of a group of five men, including Hajime, brandishing a fishing spear. "Why can't you lot leave out people alone?" The old bridge builder hollered, "Haven't our people suffered enough?!"

"Suffer you say?" Hajime frowned, "Your lands are now under the care of a Demon Lord of all things, and you think your lives will improve?"

"Better the caring hands of our Lord than the greedy mitts of Gato, and thugs like you!" Tazuna yelled, making the men in front of him growl in response, "Why are you even here? Has the Shogun changed his mind about something concerning our lands?"

Hajime frowned at the man, "He hasn't, as a matter of fact," he said, his eyes narrowing, "But I have, if you must know." He reached for his sword, having not yet noticed the arrival of the blond, "While I cannot rid the world of the Demon Lords, as it should be, I can, however, rid the world of Demon worshiping heathens like the ones in this village."

"You can't mean to slaughter the villagers!?" Tazuna yelled in disgust.

Hajime smiled cruelly, "You heard the man," he said, addressing his men, "Slaughter all those that call Naruto their lord!" He drew his sword, raising it above Tazuna's head, "We start with this one!"

Tazuna gripped his spear tightly as he rushed the man as his sword came down. Naruto moved in.

In a blur of motion, Hajime found his sword blocked by a clawed appendage that had once been human, the skin hardened with Demonic chakra as a red miasma rose from beneath the blade. The other hand had gone around to stop the spear which now threatened to impale the one holding him back. Between the samurai and the bridge builder was not the Naruto they knew.

His face had become gaunt, the whisker-like marks on his face darkening into scar-like marks, his ears now pointed. His eyes had gone a bloody-red with a slit-pupil in their center, both of which now rooted him to the spot as his elongated fangs snarled at him.

Sparks flew from where his sword met his claws, their strength shocking the man and his warriors as he pushed the samurai back, causing him to stumble as Naruto straightened his posture. A bestial growl rose in the back of the young lord's throat as he released Tazuna's spear. The old man stumbled back away from the young man, sensing danger.

But his eyes were trained on the group of samurai in front of him. "I warned you," he growled, his voice coming out in a harsh guttural growl, "I told you to leave, and you came back, and now you're threatening my people." One of the men behind Hajime took an involuntary step back.

That was a mistake.

In a flash, Naruto was in front of the man, a clawed hand reared back, and slashed down on him with his claws, easily shredding through his armor, and rending flesh. He fell back with a startled, pained scream, alive, but out of the fight.

"KILL HIM!" Hajime roared, rounding on him with his own sword. The samurai converged on the Demon Lord, and Tazuna watched as he was surrounded, the swords slashing down. Only for the sound of rending metal to reach his ears as the katana, the samurai weapons that were forged from purified meteorite iron, were shattered as the young blond whirled around in a maelstrom of claws and fangs as he tore their armor and weapons to shreds. Hajime backpedaled away from the Demon, his sword cracked and unusable.

Naruto rounded on him, his red gaze thirsty for blood, "Your men I leave alive," the blond growled, his eyes narrowing, "You, I kill."

Hajime's hands began to tremble as the Demonic being advanced on him slowly, gripping his sword like a lifeline. He looked around for any means of escape, seeing none but the treacherous waters surrounding the island. And then he caught sight of a girl running toward them. A kunoichi from the look of her attire, which gained a smile from the man.

"Kunoichi!" He roared out, "Aid me in ending this Demon's reign!"

Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him, his eyes dark, "I'll thank you not to talk to my wife like that." He sneered, "Remember? The girl you said that I was to wed? Well here she is." He said, smiling slightly as the girl came to his side and dropped into a Taijutsu stance. "And you just threatened to kill the people of this village. Her village, now." He said, and looked down at her, "What do you think we should do with him?"

"Throwing him off the island would be nice," she said, panting a little in her haste to reach him, "Killing him would only cause trouble for you later if his men lie to the Shogun."

Naruto smiled at her, and reached out to grab the man by his face, "Lucky for you." The blond said, and then whipped around, hurling the samurai into the deep waters of the harbor. He then turned to the remaining men, who looked utterly terrified. "He had a little blood on him, so I'd suggest you all go and fish him out before the sharks finish what I started." He suggested with a disarming smile, "So please, get the hell of my island."

"And don't come back!" Tazuna roared, brandishing his spear as the men headed for their boat.

Naruto chuckled, and looked down at the young woman at his side, "My dear lady, I think you and I are going to get along just fine," he smiled at her, making her blush prettily, "Now, about that name?"

The girl smiled up at the young man, "My name is Hinata Hyuga," she said with a slightly mocking bow of her head, "And I am to be your wife."

* * *

 _ **AN:**_ Not much to say about this chapter, except that I'm sorry for the lateness. As I've taken the time to think this story through, we'll be seeing a fair few sets of bad guys, Akatsuki included, and you can all guess that Saito Hajime is going to be back. As for Naruto and Hinata finding out just how far back they go, that'll come up in another chapter or two.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this one, and leave a review for me to enjoy. Ciao!


	5. 5 - Ghost of the Past

_**AN:**_ If Kurama is your favorite character, just wait. He's a fox, and foxes are the worst of all pranksters.

* * *

 ** _5: Ghost of the Past_**

* * *

Examining the youngster in front of her, Tsunade Senju, one of the greatest kunoichi the world had ever seen, smiled, "There's no sign on the infection anymore, dear," she said, much to the little boy's relief, "You can go home as soon as your mother comes for you." She rose and looked across the room, spying her three apprentices, "Sakura, Karin, Shizune, how are things over on your side?"

The three young women looked up, smiling, "It looks like we've finally managed to get rid of the infection for good," said a pink-haired girl with a red band over her hair.

"About time, too," said a girl with wild red hair and glasses, "That's the most stubborn viral infection I've ever seen."

The last of the three, a young woman with dark shoulder-length hair, giggled, "Be glad that this one was contained to this village, Karin," she said, "If it had spread, we'd be looking at a longer recovery time, and possibly an epidemic on our hands if we hand't caught it in time."

"Shizune's right, Karin," the pink-haired girl, Sakura, said, wiping sweat from her brow, "We were really lucky."

Tsunade nodded in agreement with her apprentices. Looking back on their arrival in the small Water Country village, she hadn't been all that surprised that a virus had reared its ugly head with all the fighting that had been going on. Dead bodies tended to go unburied, and that lead to all sorts of trouble.

"We'll stay in the village for another day or so to make sure the sickness has passed," she told them, smiling at their combined work, "Then we move on. We've already been here far too long for my liking."

The door to the make-shift hospital slid open as a large man lumbered in, chuckling, "And for good reason." He said, smiling at the blonde woman, who grimaced at the man's sudden appearance, "It's good to see you, Tsunade," He smiled, "You're looking well."

"Jiraiya," she said frostily, "here to propose again?"

"Again?" Sakura and Karin asked in unison while Shizune giggled.

Jiraiya, a giant of a man at six-foot-four with wild spiky white hair tied back into a long ponytail behind his head, and held in place by a special shinobi head band with the word "Oil" carved into it under a pair of small horns, could only chuckle at the woman, the laugh-lines on his face showing. "While I could use another royal run-around like last time, I didn't come here for that," he smiled as the woman crossed her arms under an impressive bust.

"Well, then why did you come all this way when I know for a fact that you've been out in the Whirlpool Islands?" She demanded, her eyes narrowing, "You promised that you'd never leave his side, remember?"

Jiraiya looked over at the two younger girls with Shizune, and jerked his thumb, "Do they know?"

"No, but they can be told," she shrugged, "After all, I helped you raise him for the better part of five years."

Jiraiya chuckled, "That's true," he said, smiling fondly which quickly turned to a frown, "Naruto was taken before the Shogun." Tsunade's eyes widened while Shizune paled, the two younger women looking at each other in confusion.

"What happened to him?" Tsunade breathed out.

"Whipped, fifteen lashes," he said, "It would have been sixty if someone hadn't called out for mercy on his behalf. But all you need to know is that he was in the right."

Sakura looked at the man, "Um, Sir, if this Naruto person you're talking about was whipped by the Shogun, then how was he in the right?"

"I'd like to know why he was punished in the first place," Tsunade growled, "Tell me everything, Jiraiya, now, or I'll send you through a wall!"

Jiraiya shrugged, "About a month ago, Wave country, that little island that just off of our coast, came to Naruto, begging for his help." He said, "I warned him against it, but after we learned what had been going on, even I couldn't fault the boy for going." He sighed, frowning, "The village had been taken over by that thug, Gato, and he was starving out the people to get rid of them. No one got in or out of the village, and if they tried, they were killed off by Gato's thugs."

"That's horrible!" Shizune gasped. "Why would he be so cruel?"

"Because that's just the kind of scum he is," Jiraiya told the girl, "And when our boy heard about this, there was no stopping him. He flew down to the village like a hurricane and kicked Gato and his men out like yesterday's news. Gato wanted to try and get even with him, so he sent someone to the Shogun to complain about his misconduct. By that time, one of the villagers had found out that the island had once belonged to Naruto's ancestral clan, and stopped the punishment from going any further. Lucky for him, too, because I don't think Naruto would have begged for mercy until all sixty lashes had been administered."

Tsunade nodded, frowning. "There's something else you're not telling me, isn't there?"

Jiraiya sighed, reaching back to scratch his head, "It's a bit of a tale, but since Naruto was falsely accused, Mifune saw fit to make a demand of the Leaf village," he said, much to Sakura's surprise; the Leaf village was her home. "Since Naruto's the last known member of his clan, Mifune wanted to hurry him along and chose a wife for him - "

"WHAT!?" Tsunade roared, shaking the small building with her fury, "And why the hell would he do that?! Naruto's just barely turned sixteen! He's too young to be - "

"Who is Naruto?" Karin asked, not taking to being left out of the loop well.

Tsunade, however, waved her off, "Never mind, you'll meet him soon enough," she snapped, "Pack it up! We're out of here in ten, or else!"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

Jiraiya chuckled as the woman bustled passed him, absolutely fuming, and turned to Shizune, "Sorry about that, Shizune," he said, "I didn't mean to get her riled up like that. But she did need to know."

Shizune sighed, "I know, and Naruto's been like a little brother to me ever since I got to know him." She smiled as her two younger colleagues moved about getting things ready, "How is he doing?"

"Better than expected from what the Toads are telling me," he said, "And the girl...she's a real beauty, and doesn't seem all that afraid of him, considering he's a Demon Lord - "

"DEMON LORD!" Karin and Sakura screeched, dropping everything they were carrying at the moment.

Jiraiya chuckled sheepishly, "Eh, oops, did I not mention that?" He said, "Yes, Naruto is the Ninth Demon Lord, and now master of the Whirlpool Islands, and the Land of Waves." He said, "I'll warn you all right now that the conditions of the village are far from stellar, they've only just started getting back on their feet after Naruto kicked Gato out, and he's still having trouble with thugs now and then. And I heard that he even tangled with one of the samurai not too long ago."

Shizune winced, "That isn't good," she mumbled, and turned to the girls, "Sakura, Karin, please, hurry it up. Tsunade will end up leaving us behind if we're not careful."

.

A short time later found the three young women tailing behind a very upset Tsunade as she and Jiraiya led the way out of the village at a breakneck pace. "I've never seen Lady Tsunade so riled up!" Karin commented as they ran through the trees, "Not even when Orochimaru came around!"

Sakura nodded as she ran alongside the girl, "I know, and it's over one of the Demon Lords," the girl said, frowning, "I don't understand it. I didn't even know she knew any of them, and then this Jiraiya guy just shows up and says she helped him raise him?"

Karin gave her a look, "That Jiraiya is one of the Three Legendary Shinobi, Sakura," she pointed out, "He's one of the Lady's former teammates like Orochimaru was."

Shizune looked back over her shoulder at the two of them, "She's right, Sakura," she said, "Lord Jiraiya's been Tsunade's comrade for as long as I can remember."

"What about the Demon Lord?" Sakura asked her. "He said they raised him."

Shizune smiled, "It was long before we met you two." She said, giggling, "Naruto was six when Jiraiya brought him to meet with Tsunade before all four of us set out for the Whirlpool islands." She smiled fondly, "He was such a tiny thing back then, and always getting himself into mischief with Tsunade that I thought she was going to kill him sometimes."

"So he was just a normal boy?" Karin asked, frowning, "I thought Demon Lords were - "

Shizune looked back at her, "Make no mistake, Demon Lords are more than just simple humans, but they're not real demons, either." She said looking back ahead of them, "I haven't seen Naruto since he was twelve, but he was already growing stronger under Jiraiya's teachings. I can only imagine what kind of man he's become...and I can't wait to see what kind of girl he's to marry!" She laughed happily.

Sakura looked over at Karin, "I'd kind'a be scared of being married to a Demon Lord," she said, "Don't they have tentacles or something?"

Karin shivered, "That's not something I wanna think about."

Ahead of the trio, Jiraiya chuckled, having overheard them, "Young women these days have a very unhealthy obsession with tentacles and such," he laughed, "I remember I published a book like that some time ago, and it sold like hotcakes."

Tsunade rolled her eyes at that, "It's ridiculous to think any part of Naruto isn't human," she remarked with a huff. "The only times I've seen him in his demonic persona is when he was enraged."

Jiraiya nodded, "He's grown quite a bit since you last saw him, Princess," he said, "He's not the little brat you used to chase around the castle. And he's certainly not the poor little boy that I rescued from being stoned to death just outside his father's village, the ungrateful bastards." He growled, "But he's no killer, that's for certain. He's far too gentle sometimes for me to even believe that he's a Demon Lord."

"What about Kurama?" She asked, remembering the tricky little Fox, "Do we need to worry about him?"

Jiraiya shook his head, "He's actually been friendly to the boy for a while now." He said, "If it weren't for him, Naruto wouldn't know how to do half the things he does now." He smiled slightly, "He's a proper Demon Lord, now."

"That's being forced to marry so that his child can be made into his replacement," the blonde woman growled angrily. "Have you met her?"

Jiraiya shook his head, "I've only seen her in passing while I was keeping an eye on Naruto in the capital," he said, sighing, "She's a Hyuga, and a very pretty one, even among their clan. They met briefly while Naruto was leaving the city, and she worried over him because he was still bleeding from the lashings." He said, having watched the short meeting from the shadows, "And the Toad I left in the village said that she rushed to aid him while he fought with a small detachment of samurai that came to do harm to the village because they favored Naruto over a _human_ lord."

"A Branch Hyuga?" She murmured, "Not bad, I guess, but it's a bit of an insult to him to be given a slave to bed."

Jiraiya gave her a look, "She's from the Main House, and the daughter of the clan head, no less," he told her, gaining a look of surprise from the woman, "I know, I was surprised they let her go, too. Especially since she doesn't have that blasted seal on her head to protect those precious Byakugan of theirs."

"Well, thank goodness it wasn't a girl with the Sharingan," she reasoned, "I doubt he would've liked her all that much if she was."

Jiraiya chuckled, "True." He said, and turned his eyes forward, "We'll hit the coast soon, and then it's a near straight shot toward Wave from there if you're willing to chance running across the ocean."

"My girls can handle it." Tsunade smiled, "Besides, I want to meet this girl."

* * *

(*)

* * *

"And you are certain that Hajime has not been seen?" Mifune frowned as he listened to his second, "I realize that Saito is not a supporter of the Demon Lords, but you claim that he openly attacked the young Lord Nine, and threatened his village?"

Ichigo lowered his head, "I do, Lord Mifune," he said, "One of Master Hajime's men returned out of fear of retaliation from the Demon Lord, and came back. he told me that Hajime was heading into the opposite direction."

"And the one that returned?" Mifune asked.

"He took his own life afterwards," the young man grimaced, "He had a dagger on him that we failed to notice." He bowed his head, "I'm sorry, Lord."

Mifune sighed, "It is of no consequence, young one," he said, prompting the boy to raise his head, "He deserved an honorable death after his services. Have someone notify his family that he died honorably, and have his body properly cared for."

"Yes, Lord," the young man said, "And what is to be done with Hajime?"

Mifune sighed, "I do not like to admit it, but he is of little consequence to me, as well." He said, making the young man frown, "Have you not heard the whispering among the villages? With Yagura dead, and Lord Utakata wandering around freely, the Land of Water is in turmoil, even thought a new Mizukage has been elected, things are still dire. Many smaller villages have taken the chance to move in and try to depose her. Thankfully she is both strong and merciful. Her forces grow with each group she defeats, but that still remains a problem. If the Three Tails appears again, then it will be a mad dash to have the beast contained, and the Hidden Water Village must be the one to have it, or else the balance of the Five Great Nations will crumble."

"Master Himura is of a mind to leave the demons be," Ichigo put in, frowning.

Mifune chuckled, "Such is my old friend," he said, "Kenshin is a peaceable man, even by my standards. That blade of his is proof enough of that." He said, "Have the Ninth Lord, and his new bride met yet?"

"Yes, Lord, as a matter of fact, she stood against Hajime when he tried to fight with Lord Uzumaki."

"Did she now?" Mifune asked in delight, "Perhaps we shall see his line continue after all."

Ichigo looked at the man with a small frown, "Lord Mifune, if the Uzumaki were so important, then why were they allowed to be attacked as they were?"

Mifune frowned, "A fair, but sore question." He said, "My predecessor, the previous Shogun, was a fearful, paranoid man, and the Uzumaki were growing both in numbers, and in strength." He said, frowning, "Bonded with the Senju and the Uchiha as they were, they were easily the most powerful of shinobi, and nations. They had their own brand of government. Their Daimyo were strong, and long-lived, capable of living close to two hundred years old, meaning they had decades to prepare their successors. Their military might dwarfed any one village, which is why it took the combined efforts of three to lay them low."

"An entire nation wiped out because of fear and jealousy," Ichigo sighed, "What made the other shinobi nations fear them so much?"

"Fear, of course," Mifune sighed, "An Uzumaki, a pure-blooded one, had massive amounts of chakra. So much so that they were compared to the Tailed Beasts. And there were thousands of them." He said, "If one were to become a samurai, I dare say that one Wind Scar from their blade could cleave a mountain in twain."

The young samurai thought the elder was joking for a moment, "Surely that's impossible?"

"I wish it was, my boy, but the destruction they could cause was devastating." He said, "Which is why they were feared, and allowed to be destroyed as they were. Their lands, the laws, culture, all of it wiped from the face of the world, save for a few that survived...and now we only have our young Lord of Nine remaining."

"Is that why everyone walks on eggshells when he's around?" The boy asked.

"That's exactly the reason why," Mifune said, "You see, Naruto has that massive amount of chakra his people were known for, and he also holds the powers and chakra of the Nine Tails, which means he's even more dangerous than what anyone would expect of an Uzumaki, or a Demon Lord."

Ichigo frowned, _'If that's the case,'_ he wondered silently, ' _Then why doesn't he free himself from the laws that were forced on him?_ ' Whatever the answer to his silent musings was, he hoped that he never had to find out.

* * *

(*)

* * *

Naruto sighed as he and Hinata walked around his(their) village. It had been two days since the attack by Hajime and his men, and things had been busier than ever with the young Lord, leaving the girl little to no time to meet and talk with him. it did not seem to bother her, but it wouldn't be long before her family and friends would have to leave for the Leaf village, and he didn't want them to worry for her because of him.

"You've done good work here," she commented quietly as she surveyed the village. The people were looking more and more alive with each passing day she spent among them. To her surprise, she enjoyed spending time with Tsunami and her family. Tazuna and his men were working tirelessly on a new bridge that would stretch across the bay to the second largest of the Whirlpool islands. It would take weeks, perhaps even months to finish, but the elderly bridge builder was determined to do it.

Naruto looked down at her with a small smile, "I've done what I could," he said, and frowned slightly, "But it still isn't enough, yet." He said, looking around the streets, "Gato's influence is still here to be seen." He said as a sickly little boy ran passed them, "Some of these people will never recover from this."

Hinata silently agreed with him. She had seen this sort of thing from time to time in her career as a kunoichi.

"I'm sorry," the blond Lord said suddenly, making her look up at him, "It's something I've wanted to say to you since you came here, but I haven't been brave enough." He sighed, halting their procession, "Since we met in the capital, I wished you well because of your words to me back then, but now it looks like I've brought you down with me." He said, looking back across the village where they saw Hiashi, Hanabi and her friends talking around Tsunami's home, "They're here, now, but your family and friends will be leaving soon. And I'me sure you've got friends back in the Leaf that you'll miss."

Hinata smiled, and looked up at him, "It's true, I'm going to miss my father, and my little sister, but the rest of my family aren't overly fond of me," she said, "As for friends, yes, I had a few, but those were my teammates, Kiba and Shino. Unfortunately we never saw each other outside of missions all that much, but we did try to spend quite a bit of time together." She said, and tentatively reached for his hand, "But I can tell that you are just as kind as I thought you were when we first met. You're no Demon, or mythical creature."

Naruto let a laugh escape him, "You say that after seeing my less pleasant side when I fought those samurai?"

"No different than looking at angry Inuzuka," the girl smiled, making the man chuckle again, "Besides, between the possibility of being married to a fat lord, or a Daimyo, I think I prefer this situation to those."

"Yeah, instead of being married to a rich and respectable feudal lord, you have the luxury of being with a poor, unlikable Demon Lord with a rundown fishing village," he said, grinning, "Oh, yes, that's a much better deal, ya know?"

Hinata giggled, "I had a friend that said 'ya know' a lot when I was small," she smiled.

"Did you?" He said, "What happened to him?"

Hinata shrugged, "I suppose he moved off somewhere. I haven't seen him since we were children."

Naruto stiffened at that. "I...see..."

Hinata looked up at him curiously, "D-did I say something wrong?"

Naruto shook his head, "No, no, I was just thinking, that's all," he frowned, but then sighed, "When will your friends have to leave?"

"I-In another day or so," she said, slightly depressed, "I-If it wouldn't be too much of a bother, I would like to visit them from time to time, if you find that agreeable?"

Naruto smiled at her widely, "Of course I don't mind," he said, "You're not a prisoner here, Hinata. If anything, I'm glad you haven't run for the hills screaming."

Hinata beamed at him, dazzling him with the smile on her face, "Thank you, so much." She said, stepping away from him, "I'm going to go tell my father...I'll see you in a bit?"

"Yeah, of course," he grinned, waving as she jogged away from him, and then frowned deeply, "She can't be...there's no way it's her."

"Something the matter, Brat?" Kurama's voice drifted to his ears as the Fox came up to him, "You look like you've just seen a ghost?"

Naruto frowned, "I think I might have." He said, and sighed, "We've got another day or so before Hinata's family and friends leave, and I'd like to show them the castle before the have to go. Think you could bring the ship around?"

Kurama chuckled happily, "Gladly." He said, "That reminds me; that old pervert and the hag are on their way here with three others." He said, making the young man grin, "I assume that one of them will be Shizune, but I don't know who the other two might be."

Naruto smiled at the Fox, "If they're with Grandpa and Grandma, then there's no need to worry, ya know?" He said, "When will they be here?"

"Some time tomorrow morning, I think," Kurama said, looking up at a passing cloud, "The wind tells me that they're traveling on foot, but fast, even for those two."

Naruto sighed, "I wish I could read the winds like you can, Kurama," he said, "Usually I can't sense anyone unless I'm trying, or in Sage Mode."

Kurama gave a small shrug of his shoulder, "Well, you can gain all of my powers, obviously," the Fox said, and started scratching at his ears, "But you did get the best parts."

"I guess I did," the blond smiled, "We can get the ship in the morning. That way we can meet with Jiraiya and Tsunade, too."

Kurama chuckled again, "That's going to be a fun ride." He said, "Let's go join your mate and her friends. I can smell dinner."

* * *

 _ **AN:**_ Not much happening in this chapter, except a few explanations and revelations.

If you liked it, leave a review please, if not, see ya next time.


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